At this point, TikTok is one of the largest and most popular content-sharing platforms on the internet. Many creators are using TikTok over other short-form tools (like Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts) because, in general, almost anyone on TikTok can go viral overnight thanks to the way the platform’s algorithm is designed. We’ve seen countless TikTok success stories, like Daniel Mac — who gained millions of followers in just a few months after creating his account. You too can experience this kind of success on TikTok — and it starts with optimizing when you post your videos.
Why your TikTok posting times matter
Some might think that the best time to post your TikTok is when it’s done. However, that’s far from the truth. The day and time you decide to post your TikTok will either boost or lower its engagement levels — affecting how TikTok’s algorithm views your upload.
On TikTok, the algorithm populates the “For You” section of the platform with TikToks that have gained a lot of likes, shares, and comments in a short amount of time. You want to post when your followers are most active so your TikTok can grab the algorithm’s attention with how quickly it’s gaining engagement. If you post your videos when people aren’t active, your engagement will start slow, which could hurt your chances of getting picked up by TikTok’s algorithm.
Not every time fits all TikTok creators
Everyone on TikTok has their own unique audience, meaning there’s no adequate, all-around time that will work best for every creator. However, there is a general pattern to when people are on TikTok. While these times may not be the most effective times for your specific audience, they’re good times to use when you’re new to the platform and want to build a community. According to SocialPilot, the best times to post to TikTok’s general audience depend on the day of the week you’re posting. Looking at the graph below, we can see that typically the best times to post on Mondays are before noon or right before bedtime. However, on Saturdays, it’s better to post later in the day after dinner.
As you build your community, you can then start using TikTok’s analytics tools to create a posting schedule that’s more specific to your audience’s active times.
How to access TikTok’s analytic tools
TikTok offers a Pro account that allows you to view your viewer analytics. You will see how many followers you have and the basic demographics of those watching your content. You can also check to see when they’re all engaging with your content. Here’s how to get a Pro account:
- Step 1: Hit the “Me” icon after logging into your account
- Step 2: Tap the three vertical dots icon to the top right on your screen
- Step 3: Go to “Manage my account”
- Step 4: Select “Switch to Pro Account”
After making the Pro account, you have access to three analytics tabs: account overview, content insights and follower insights.
Seeing when your followers are active
An important analytic you need to look at is when your followers are most active and engaged with your videos. Consider where in the world viewers are watching your content, when they’re most active and which videos they engage with most. This will give you a firm grasp on when you should be posting your videos.
You can check out your Follower activity metric in TikTok’s analytics. You can then see the hours and days your followers are most active. To access this information, after making a Pro account, go to content insights. Here, you can see how well your TikTok videos are doing. You’ll also see when they are gaining the most engagement.
After reviewing a few of your videos, look for any trends as to when you start to gain engagement. Use any trends you notice to formulate a posting schedule. After you have a schedule mapped out, test it on a few videos and review if the schedule is working. If it’s not, look for more trends as you continue to post.
Form your posting schedule
As you grow your TikTok audience, check out each post’s analytics and see when you posted it. From there, you can make a plan that reaches your audience at the best time. This will increase your video’s engagement and boost your chances of spreading across TikTok.
When it comes down to it, there’s no particular one-size-fits-all posting time slot on TikTok. To know when to post your videos, you have to research and find out when your audience is most active. Once see a trend, use what you learned to make an informed decision about your posting schedule moving forward.